an embarrassment of kale

A visit to the organic farmer’s market near my apartment in Oaxaca City. In my bag are two bunches of kale. The guy I buy it from always has 4 or 5 varieties. It’s hard to choose. But as you can see, two bunches is more than ample for one person for a week of smoothies and kale salads.

In case you are wondering how much organic kale costs in Southern Mexico: about one US dollar per bunch. I know. Don’t hate me.

Don’t even get me started on the fruit. I’ll save that for another post.

I hardly ever get photos of myself when I’m traveling. Or ever, really. So, in an effort to more fully experience myself here and now, some visual evidence is in order. These photos are mostly for the benefit of my sketchbook, but I will also be brave and share here.

Question: why is it so hard to see ourselves in photos? I’m trying to get over it. I really love to photograph others. So it’s only fair to turn the camera the other way once in awhile. Right?

Thanks so my new American friend, Liduina, for snapping these. You’ll meet her in a sec.

The farmer’s market is held every Friday and Saturday morning in the courtyard of the church in Colonia Xochimilco. (Santo Thomas, I think). Sorry. It’s Sunday and I’m too lazy to go look this up.

A colonia is the Mexican way of saying neighborhood. Xochimilco is pronounced: Ho-chee-mil-co. It’s a lovely part of town where the aqueduct runs straight through and there are many steep hills that remind me of certain parts of San Francisco, but feels more like my favorite neighborhood in Paris, Montmartre. If that makes sense.

Hi Liduina!

Can you tell I’m having fun playing with the photo filters on Camera+ ?

The one I used on Liduina’s photo is called fashion. I think she’s a stylin’ lady.

Liduina and I met at the used bookstore that is below my studio in Oaxaca. She is also has a home in San Francisco that she rents out while traveling around the world. Besides that, we have lots of other stuff in common and it’s really lovely to have a girlfriend to hang out with. All women need this! Girlfriend time.

Luidina is the only person I speak English with, so to not have to think so hard when I craft a sentence, as I do in Spanish, is very relaxing in it’s own right.

It’s Sunday morning here in Oaxaca and I’m off to make order in my studio. Right now it looks like an FBI search happened in there. Because I’m working on about four projects at once in a teeny space.

Noticeable lack of photo on that mess lacking in this post.

Whatcha doin’ today?

update:

I keep forgetting the Spanish word for Kale.

It’s not acelga, like the veggie dealer at the market keeps telling me. Acelga is really chard.

6 Responses to an embarrassment of kale

Lisa Sonora … how fun to read about your world. I’ve just moved to Arroyo Grande and am off to organize my mosaic studio this am … geography may separate our organizational activities but the river of creativity flows long and deep. Enjoy!

Hey Lisa,
You mentioned that you usually just use pictures of yourself in your sketchbooks. How do you do that? Do you get prints, or use a color printer? I’ve been thinking about adding more photos to my own sketchbook without incurring too much cost. Would love to hear your take.
Love following your journey in Mexico.

Lisa, Wow! I get to live vicariously through you! You are in a foreign country, immersed in the language (I’d love to learn Spanish that way) and an artist with a studio. Love it! Yes, you gotta post pictures with yourself it in. I do too, I’m going to start. :^) Tell me what you do with the kale? I only make kale chips with it, but because it’s so healthy I’d love to have other options. Tenga un buen dia.

Hi Lisa,
Thank you for sharing your journey. I’m about to leave home–really! I’m about to leave home so that a realtor can show our home for sale, then, what’s next? I’m ready to move on which I couldn’t say even a year ago…

I love having my picture taken and have posted quite a few playful videos…don’t have many still photos in my journal though–eureka! I was just about to put a photo of my mom at age 14 (*she looks just like me sans the nun outfit with a white collar and black dress)…when I find my high school grad pic I’ll place it next to mom’s pic of her at 14…really, we look like twins….musing over mother-daughter relationship as I write my story and reflect on being turned upside down (ready for birth!)…’…I turn 60 this year, big changes…..